Tests in New Zealand

Driving: one road code for the whole country

There are no regional driving tests in New Zealand. Every learner licence starts with a computer-based, multi-choice theory test on the road code, the national rule book from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), and you study for it on NZTA’s Drive site. You book and sit it at a driver licensing agent, which means most AA offices and some VTNZ stations. Car, motorcycle and heavy vehicle licences each have their own road code and their own theory test, and each has its own guide here.

English tests, citizenship and the coming test

If your visa needs proof of English, Immigration New Zealand sets the tests it accepts and the score each visa needs. For skilled residence, as of October 2026 that list covers IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, B2 First and the OET, and the result must be no more than 2 years old. At-home tests don’t count, so you sit it in person at a test centre.

Citizenship by grant comes through the Department of Internal Affairs. Right now there’s no knowledge test: you show you understand a citizen’s responsibilities and privileges by making a declaration in your application. From late 2027 most applicants will have to pass an in-person test of 20 multiple-choice questions in English, with 15 right needed to pass. Aspeq Limited will run it, and DIA will publish study material before it starts. If you apply before the test becomes a requirement, you won’t need to sit it.

University entry and professional licences

Medicine, dentistry and clinical science programmes at the consortium’s universities in New Zealand and Australia use the UCAT ANZ, a computer test sat at Pearson centres, alongside your grades and an interview. Some pathways don’t ask for it, so check the university’s own page.

Trades and licences each have a regulator. Electrical workers sit the Electrical Workers Registration Board’s exams, which Aspeq runs online at its own centres throughout the year, with practical assessments handled by your training provider. Pilots need written exam credits under the Civil Aviation Authority’s rules, in subjects like air law, meteorology and human factors for a private pilot licence. Amateur radio operators sit their exam with an approved radio examiner listed by Radio Spectrum Management.

Questions people ask

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